Mobile support structure for bulk material containers

ABSTRACT

In accordance with presently disclosed embodiments, systems and methods for efficiently managing bulk material are provided. The disclosure is directed to a portable support structure used to receive one or more portable containers of bulk material and output bulk material from the containers directly into the blender hopper. The portable support structure may include a frame for receiving and holding the one or more portable bulk material containers in an elevated position proximate the blender hopper, as well as one or more gravity feed outlets for routing the bulk material from the containers directly into the blender hopper. In some embodiments, the portable support structure may be transported to the well site on a trailer, unloaded from the trailer, and positioned proximate the blender unit. In other embodiments, the portable support structure may be a mobile support structure that is integrated into a trailer unit.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to transferring dry bulkmaterials, and more particularly, to a portable support structure forreceiving containers of bulk material and routing bulk material from thecontainers.

BACKGROUND

During the drilling and completion of oil and gas wells, variouswellbore treating fluids are used for a number of purposes. For example,high viscosity gels are used to create fractures in oil and gas bearingformations to increase production. High viscosity and high density gelsare also used to maintain positive hydrostatic pressure in the wellwhile limiting flow of well fluids into earth formations duringinstallation of completion equipment. High viscosity fluids are used toflow sand into wells during gravel packing operations. The highviscosity fluids are normally produced by mixing dry powder and/orgranular materials and agents with water at the well site as they areneeded for the particular treatment. Systems for metering and mixing thevarious materials are normally portable, e.g., skid- or truck-mounted,since they are needed for only short periods of time at a well site.

The powder or granular treating material is normally transported to awell site in a commercial or common carrier tank truck. Once the tanktruck and mixing system are at the well site, the dry powder material(bulk material) must be transferred or conveyed from the tank truck intoa supply tank for metering into a blender as needed. The bulk materialis usually transferred from the tank truck pneumatically. Morespecifically, the bulk material is blown pneumatically from the tanktruck into an on-location storage/delivery system (e.g., silo). Thestorage/delivery system may then deliver the bulk material onto aconveyor or into a hopper, which meters the bulk material through achute into a blender tub.

Recent developments in bulk material handling operations involve the useof portable containers for transporting dry material about a welllocation. The containers can be brought in on trucks, unloaded, storedon location, and manipulated about the well site when the material isneeded. The containers are generally easier to manipulate on locationthan a large supply tank trailer. The containers are eventually emptiedby dumping the contents thereof onto a mechanical conveying system(e.g., conveyor belt, auger, bucket lift, etc.). The conveying systemthen moves the bulk material in a metered fashion to a desireddestination at the well site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsfeatures and advantages, reference is now made to the followingdescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a bulk material handling systemsuitable for releasing bulk material from a container disposed on aportable support structure, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable support structure used toroute bulk material into a blender inlet, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portable support structure integrated with atrailer unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a portablesupport structure with electronics that are communicatively coupled to acontrol system, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described indetail herein. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actualimplementation are described in this specification. It will of course beappreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment,numerous implementation specific decisions must be made to achievedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system related andbusiness related constraints, which will vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effortmight be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routineundertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit ofthe present disclosure. Furthermore, in no way should the followingexamples be read to limit, or define, the scope of the disclosure.

Certain embodiments according to the present disclosure may be directedto systems and methods for efficiently managing bulk material (e.g.,bulk solid or liquid material). Bulk material handling systems are usedin a wide variety of contexts including, but not limited to, drillingand completion of oil and gas wells, concrete mixing applications,agriculture, and others. The disclosed embodiments are directed tosystems and methods for efficiently moving bulk material into a blenderinlet of a blender unit at a job site. The systems may include aportable support structure used to receive one or more portablecontainers of bulk material and output bulk material from the containersdirectly into the blender inlet. The disclosed techniques may be used toefficiently handle any desirable bulk material having a solid or liquidconstituency including, but not limited to, sand, proppant, gelparticulate, diverting agent, dry-gel particulate, liquid additives andothers.

In currently existing on-site bulk material handling applications, drymaterial (e.g., sand, proppant, gel particulate, or dry-gel particulate)may be used during the formation of treatment fluids. In suchapplications, the bulk material is often transferred betweentransportation units, storage tanks, blenders, and other on-sitecomponents via pneumatic transfer, sand screws, chutes, conveyor belts,and other components. Recently, a new method for transferring bulkmaterial to a hydraulic fracturing site involves using portablecontainers to transport the bulk material. The containers can be broughtin on trucks, unloaded, stored on location, and manipulated about thesite when the material is needed. These containers generally include adischarge gate at the bottom that can be actuated to empty the materialcontents of the container at a desired time.

In existing systems, the containers are generally supported above amechanical conveying system (e.g., moving belt, auger, bucket lift,etc.) prior to releasing the bulk material. The discharge gates on thecontainers are opened to release the bulk material via gravity onto themoving mechanical conveying system. The mechanical conveying system thendirects the dispensed bulk material toward a desired destination, suchas a hopper on a blender unit. Unfortunately, this process can release arelatively large amount of dust into the air and result in unintendedmaterial spillage. In addition, the mechanical conveying system isgenerally run on auxiliary power and, therefore, requires an externalpower source to feed the bulk material from the containers to theblender.

The material handling systems having the portable support structuredisclosed herein are designed to address and eliminate the shortcomingsassociated with existing container handling systems. The portablesupport structure may include a frame for receiving and holding one ormore portable bulk material containers in an elevated position proximatethe blender inlet (e.g., blender hopper or mixer inlet), as well as oneor more gravity feed outlets for routing the bulk material from thecontainers directly into the blender inlet. In some embodiments, theportable support structure may be transported to the well site on atrailer, unloaded from the trailer, and positioned proximate the blenderunit. In other embodiments, the portable support structure may be amobile support structure that is integrated into a trailer unit. Theportable support structure may be designed with an open space at oneside so that the blender unit can be backed up until the blender inletis in position directly under the gravity feed outlet(s) of the supportstructure.

The disclosed portable support structure may provide an elevatedlocation for one or more bulk material containers to be placed while theproppant (or any other liquid or solid bulk material used in the fluidmixtures at the job site) is transferred from the containers to theblender. The support structure may elevate the bulk material containersto a sufficient height above the blender inlet and route the bulkmaterial directly from the containers to the blender inlet. This mayeliminate the need for any subsequent pneumatic or mechanical conveyanceof the bulk material (e.g., via a separate mechanical conveying system)from the containers to the blender. This may improve the energyefficiency of bulk material handling operations at a job site, since noauxiliary power sources are needed to move the material from thecontainers into the blender inlet. In addition, the portable supportstructure may simplify the operation of transferring bulk material,reduce material spillage, and decrease dust generation.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a bulkmaterial handling system 10. The system 10 includes a container 12elevated on a portable support structure 14 and holding a quantity ofbulk material (e.g., solid or liquid treating material). The portablesupport structure 14 may include a frame 16 for receiving and holdingthe container 12 and a gravity feed outlet 18 for directing bulkmaterial away from the container 12. The outlet 18 may be coupled to andextending from the frame 16. The outlet 18 may utilize a gravity feed toprovide a controlled, i.e. metered, flow of bulk material from thecontainer 12 to a blender unit 20.

As illustrated, the blender unit 20 may include a hopper 22 and a mixer24 (e.g., mixing compartment). The blender unit 20 may also include ametering mechanism 26 for providing a controlled, i.e. metered, flow ofbulk material from the hopper 22 to the mixer 24. However, in otherembodiments the blender unit 20 may not include the hopper 22, such thatthe outlet 18 of the support structure 14 may provide bulk materialdirectly into the mixer 20.

Water and other additives may be supplied to the mixer 24 (e.g., mixingcompartment) through a fluid inlet 28. As those of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate, the fluid inlet 28 may comprise more than the oneinput flow line illustrated in FIG. 1. The bulk material and water maybe mixed in the mixer 24 to produce (at an outlet 30) a fracing fluid, amixture combining multiple types of proppant, proppant/dry-gelparticulate mixture, sand/sand-diverting agents mixture, cement slurry,drilling mud, a mortar or concrete mixture, or any other fluid mixturefor use on location. The outlet 30 may be coupled to a pump forconveying the treating fluid to a desired location (e.g., a hydrocarbonrecovery well) for a treating process. It should be noted that thedisclosed system 10 may be used in other contexts as well. For example,the bulk material handling system 10 may be used in concrete mixingoperations (e.g., at a construction site) to dispense aggregate from thecontainer 18 through the outlet 22 into a concrete mixing apparatus(mixer 16). In addition, the bulk material handling system 10 may beused in agriculture applications to dispense grain, feed, seed, ormixtures of the same.

It should be noted that the disclosed container 12 may be utilized toprovide bulk material for use in a variety of treating processes. Forexample, the disclosed systems and methods may be utilized to provideproppant materials into fracture treatments performed on a hydrocarbonrecovery well. In other embodiments, the disclosed techniques may beused to provide other materials (e.g., non-proppant) for diversions,conductor-frac applications, cement mixing, drilling mud mixing, andother fluid mixing applications.

As illustrated, the container 12 may be elevated above an outletlocation via the frame 16. The support structure 14 is designed toelevate the container 12 above the level of the blender inlet (e.g.,blender hopper 22 and/or mixing tub 24) to allow the bulk material togravity feed from the container 12 to the blender unit 20. This way, thecontainer 12 is able to sit on the frame 16 of the support structure 14and output bulk material directly into the blender unit 20 via thegravity feed outlet 18 of the support structure 14.

Although shown as supporting a single container 12, other embodiments ofthe frame 16 may be configured to support multiple containers 12. Theexact number of containers 12 that the support structure 14 can hold maydepend on a combination of factors such as, for example, the volume,width, and weight of the containers 12 to be disposed thereon.

In any case, the container(s) 12 may be completely separable andtransportable from the frame 16, such that any container 12 may beselectively removed from the frame 16 and replaced with anothercontainer 12. That way, once the bulk material from the container 12runs low or empties, a new container 12 may be placed on the frame 16 tomaintain a steady flow of bulk material to an outlet location. In someinstances, the container 12 may be closed before being completelyemptied, removed from the frame 16, and replaced by a container 12holding a different type of bulk material to be provided to the outletlocation.

A portable bulk storage system 32 may be provided at the site forstoring one or more additional containers 12 of bulk material to bepositioned on the frame 16 of the support structure 14. The bulkmaterial containers 12 may be transported to the desired location on atransportation unit (e.g., truck). The bulk storage system 32 may be thetransportation unit itself or may be a skid, a pallet, or some otherholding area. One or more containers 12 of bulk material may betransferred from the storage system 32 onto the support structure 14, asindicated by arrow 34. This transfer may be performed by lifting thecontainer 12 via a hoisting mechanism, such as a forklift, a crane, or aspecially designed container management device.

When the one or more containers 12 are positioned on the supportstructure 14, discharge gates on one or more of the containers 12 may beopened, allowing bulk material to flow from the containers 12 into theoutlet 18 of the support structure 14. The outlet 18 may then route theflow of bulk material directly into a blender inlet (e.g., into thehopper 22 or mixer 24) of the blender unit 20.

After one or more of the containers 12 on the support structure 14 areemptied, the empty container(s) 12 may be removed from the supportstructure 14 via a hoisting mechanism. In some embodiments, the one ormore empty containers 12 may be positioned on another bulk storagesystem 32 (e.g., a transportation unit, a skid, a pallet, or some otherholding area) until they can be removed from the site and/or refilled.In other embodiments, the one or more empty containers 12 may bepositioned directly onto a transportation unit for transporting theempty containers 12 away from the site. It should be noted that the sametransportation unit used to provide one or more filled containers 12 tothe location may then be utilized to remove one or more empty containers12 from the site.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the support structure 14 that may bedesigned to receive multiple containers. Specifically, the supportstructure 14 includes a frame 16 sized to receive and support up tothree portable containers. The frame 16 may include several beamsconnected together (e.g., via welds, rivets or bolts) to form acontinuous group of cubic or rectangular shaped supports 50 coupled endto end. For example, in the illustrated embodiment the frame 16generally includes one continuous, elongated rectangular body brokeninto three distinct cubic/rectangular supports 50A, 50B, and 50C. Eachcubic/rectangular support 50 may be used to support a single container.The frame 16 may include additional beams that function as trusses tohelp support the weight of the filled containers disposed on the frame16. Other shapes, layouts, and constructions of the frame 16 may be usedin other embodiments. In addition, other embodiments of the supportstructure 14 may include a frame 16 sized to receive other numbers(e.g., 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, or more) portable containers.

As illustrated, the support structure 14 may be equipped with aplurality of locator pins 52 disposed on top of the frame 16 forlocating and holding the containers on the frame 16. The containers mayinclude complementary engagement features designed to interface with thelocator pins 52, thus enabling a precise placement of the containersinto desired locations on the frame 16. In the illustrated embodiment,the locator pins 52 are generally disposed at the corners on the upperface of each cubic/rectangular support 50. However, other placements ofthe locator pins 52 along the upper surface of the support structure 16may be utilized in other embodiments.

The support structure 14 may also include one or more actuators 54designed to aid in actuation of a discharge gate of the one or morecontainers disposed on the frame 16. In the illustrated embodiment, theactuators 54 may be rotary actuators designed to rotate into engagementwith a discharge gate of a container to transition the gate between aclosed position and an open position. In other embodiments, theactuators 54 may be linear actuators designed to interface with thegates of the containers to selectively open and close the gates. In someembodiments, the actuators 54 may include a set of two actuators(disposed on opposite sides of the frame 16) for actuating the dischargegate of a single container disposed on the frame 16. In such anarrangement, one of the actuators 54 may transition the gate from closedto open, while the opposite actuator 54 may transition the gate fromopen to closed.

The illustrated support structure 14 may be transportable to and from adesired location on a flatbed trailer or some other transportation unit.Once at location, a hoisting mechanism (e.g., forklift, crane, etc.) maybe used to remove the support structure 14 from the transportationsystem unit and to place the support structure 14 into a desiredposition. To that end, the support structure may include slots 56 that aforklift can engage to lift and manipulate the portable supportstructure 14 about the site. In the illustrated embodiment, the slots 56are formed in a section of the frame 16 that is slightly elevated abovea lower edge of the support structure 14. This may enable relativelyeasy release of the forklift from the support structure 14 once thestructure 14 is positioned on the ground. The slots 56 may be formedthrough a central portion (e.g., central cubic/rectangular support 50B)of the elongated support structure 14 to keep the weight of the supportstructure evenly distributed during its movement at the site. In otherembodiments, the support structure 14 may include other types ofmechanical features for interfacing with another type of hoistingmechanism. For example, the support structure 14 may include one or morelifting eyes (not shown) for interfacing with a crane used to positionthe support structure 14 as needed at the site.

Once the forklift (or other hoisting mechanism) brings the supportstructure 14 to a desired location at the site, the hoisting mechanismmay lower the support structure 14 onto the ground or a relatively flatloading area proximate the ground level. The frame may 16 include cornersupports 58 for distributing a weight of the support structure 14 (andany containers disposed thereon) along the ground surface. As shown, thecorner supports 58 may be disposed along the lower surface of the frame16 at various corners of the cubic/rectangular supports 50. In theillustrated embodiment, for example, the corner supports 58 may bedisposed at the lower corners of the two outside cubic/rectangularsupports 50A and 50C, since the lower surface of the central support 50Bis slightly elevated above the ground level.

As described above, the support structure 14 may include several gravityfeed outlets 18 for routing bulk material directly from one or morecontainers disposed on the frame 16 into a blender inlet. The term“blender inlet” used herein may refer to any number of inlets to tubs,hoppers, mixers, and other areas where bulk material is needed. Asmentioned above, the blender inlet may be associated with a blenderdisposed at a job site (e.g., at a well site). For example, the blenderinlet may be a blender hopper (e.g., hopper 22 of FIG. 1) used toprovide bulk material to a metering system that meters the bulk materialinto a mixer. In other embodiments, the blender inlet may be an inletdirectly into a mixing vessel (e.g., mixer 24 of FIG. 1) of a blender.In such instances, the mixing vessel may be configured such that it issitting directly on the ground, instead of in an elevated positionwithin the blender. This may enable the containers to dump bulk materialdirectly into the mixer, without the containers being elevatedexceedingly high. In still other embodiments, the blender inlet may be amixer feeder (e.g., conveyor, sand screw, or the metering mechanism 26of FIG. 1). Other embodiments may utilize other types of blender inletsfor receiving the bulk material from the containers disposed on thesupport structure 14.

In the illustrated embodiment, the blender unit 20 and support structure14 may be designed such that the support structure 14 is used to routebulk material directly from containers into the blender hopper 22. Thatis, the “blender inlet” in this embodiment may correspond to the blenderhopper 22. In FIG. 2, the blender hopper 22 is shown schematicallywithout showing the rest of the blender unit (e.g., mixing compartment,sand screws for transporting bulk material from the hopper 22 to themixer, etc.). Again, it should be noted that other embodiments of theblender may feature other types of blender inlets into which the gravityfeed outlets 18 are designed to route bulk material from one or morecontainers.

The gravity feed outlets 18A, 18B, and 18C may be used to deliver a flowof bulk material to the blender hopper 22 (or other blender inlet) fromeach of three respective containers disposed on the frame 16. In someembodiments, the support structure 14 may also include individualhoppers 60A, 60B, and 60C at the top of the frame 16 for funneling bulkmaterial from the discharge gate of the corresponding containers intothe gravity feed outlets 18A, 18B, and 18C, respectively.

The gravity feed outlets 18A, 18B, and 18C may be chutes positioned sothat the upper end of each chute is disposed beneath a discharge gate ofa corresponding container (or one of the hoppers 60) on the frame 16.The gravity feed outlets 18 may be positioned such that the lower end ofeach chute is disposed fully within the blender hopper 22. This allowsthe gravity feed outlets 18 to provide bulk material from all of thecontainers positioned on the frame 16 into the same blender inlet (e.g.,blender hopper 22) at the same time. The outlets 18 are able to providea gravity feed where an angle of repose of the bulk material exiting thechutes is able to choke the flow of bulk material through the chutes. Asbulk material is metered from the blender hopper 22 into another portionof the blender (e.g., mixer), additional bulk material is able to flowvia gravity into the hopper 22 directly from the one or more outlets 18.In embodiments where the gravity feed outlets 18 are positioned to routebulk material directly from the containers into an inlet of the mixer ofthe blender unit, the outlets 18 and/or the blender inlet may feature ametering gate/valve used to regulate the amount of bulk materialprovided into the mixer (e.g., instead of separate sand screws)

The disclosed gravity feed outlets 18 provide a more controlled outputof bulk material to the blender inlet (e.g., blender hopper 22) thanwould be available through the use of mechanical conveying systems todrop bulk material into the hopper. In addition, the choke feed of bulkmaterial through the outlets 18 and into the blender inlet may reduce anamount of dust generated at a well site, as compared to existingpneumatic or mechanical conveying systems. Further, the gravity feedoutlets 18 are able to route the bulk material directly into the blenderinlet from the containers without the use of pneumatic or mechanicalconveyance equipment operating on auxiliary power. This makes theprocess of moving the bulk material more efficient than would bepossible using a separate pneumatic or mechanical conveyor between thecontainers and the blender.

It may be desirable for the outlets 18 to be angled by a certain amountso that the lower ends of the outlets 18 interface directly with theblender hopper 22. In some embodiments, the angle of inclination of eachgravity feed outlet 18 from a horizontal plane may be betweenapproximately 25 and 55 degrees, between approximately 30 and 50degrees, between approximately 35 and 45 degrees, or equal toapproximately 40 degrees. As shown, it may be desirable to angle theoutlets 18 such that outlets 18 direct the bulk material toward acentral collection point proximate a center portion (e.g., support 50B)of the support structure 14.

Although illustrated in FIG. 2, the blender hopper 22 (or other blenderinlet) may be entirely separate from the support structure 14. Asdescribed above, the blender inlet may be part of a separate blenderunit (e.g., 20 of FIG. 1). It may be desirable to position the supportstructure 14 and/or the blender unit relative to one another to bringthe outlets 18 into the desired discharge positions within the blenderinlet (e.g., hopper 22). To that end, the support structure 14 mayinclude an opening 62 disposed therein for receiving or being positionedover the blender inlet. In some embodiments, a forklift or some othertransportation unit may lift the portable support structure 14 and lowerthe support structure 14 directly over the blender unit so that theopening 62 is positioned over the blender inlet and the outlets 18extend into the blender inlet. In addition to or in lieu of thisplacement of the support structure 14, the blender unit may be backed uprelative to support structure 14 (which is already positioned on theground) until the blender inlet (e.g., hopper 22) is received into theopening 62 and aligned with the outlets 18.

In some instances, the support structure 14 may be equipped with a setof outriggers 64 to increase the stability of the portable supportstructure 14. The outriggers 64 may help to keep the support structure14 stable in the event of high winds or the support structure 14 beingimpacted by a container, forklift, blender, or other pieces of equipmentat the job site. In addition, the outriggers 64 on the support structure14 may be used for interfacing with the blender to bring the blenderinlet into a desired position or alignment within the opening 62 of thesupport structure 14.

To further improve the mobility, transportability, and rig-up speed atthe job site, the portable support structure 14 may be integrated into aspecialized support structure trailer unit 70, as shown in FIG. 3. Asillustrated, the support structure trailer unit 70 may include similarcomponents as the above described support structure 14 (e.g., frame 16and one or more gravity feed outlets 18). In addition, the supportstructure trailer unit 70 includes wheels 72 for enabling transportationof the support structure trailer unit 70 to and from a desired location(e.g., well site). In the illustrated embodiment, a front end 74 of thesupport structure trailer unit 70 may be designed to lift up and hookonto a trailer hitch of a transportation vehicle. Once the supportstructure trailer unit 70 is transported to the site, the front end 74may be lifted off the transportation vehicle and the support structuretrailer unit 70 may be lowered directly to the ground, without the useof a hoisting mechanism (e.g., forklift, crane, etc.). The supportstructure 14 may be integrated into other types of mobile trailer unitsas well.

Having the support structure 14 integrated into a separate mobile unit(70) may improve the reliability of the various components that make upthe support structure 14 and increase the life of the unit. This isbecause every time the support structure 14 is lifted or moved via ahoisting mechanism, for example, the frame 16, electronics, controls,and/or outlets 18 can be negatively impacted. Shock from movement of therelatively large support structure about a site can lead to undesirableoperations of the support structure components. With the supportstructure 14 integrated into the trailer unit 70, the shock due toloading/unloading the portable support structure 14 itself is minimized.

In some embodiments, the support structure trailer unit 70 may alsoinclude an air suspension system or other components to reduce shock onthe support structure 14 during transportation of the trailer unit 70(e.g., traveling along a road). The suspension system may help tofurther isolate the electronics and controls of the support structurefrom shock loading during transportation of the support structuretrailer unit 70 along the road.

Having discussed the mechanical components that make up variousembodiments of the portable support structure 14, a more detaileddiscussion of various electronics and controls that may be used withinor communicatively coupled to the support structure 14 will be provided.FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the various electronic andcontrol components that may be used throughout a well site with thedisclosed portable support structure 14.

The portable support structure 14 may include a number of electroniccomponents, and these components may be communicatively coupled (e.g.,via a wired connection or wirelessly) to one or more controllers 90(e.g., automated control system) at the well site. The control system 90may be communicatively coupled to several other well site componentsincluding, but not limited to, the blender unit 20, a hoisting mechanism(e.g., forklift) 92, and various sensors 94.

The control system 90 utilizes at least a processor component 96 and amemory component 98 to monitor and/or control various operations andbulk material inventory at the well site. For example, one or moreprocessor components 96 may be designed to execute instructions encodedinto the one or more memory components 98. Upon executing theseinstructions, the processors 96 may provide passive logging of certainoperations at the well site, as well as the amount, type, and locationof bulk materials at the well site. In some embodiments, the one or moreprocessors 96 may execute instructions for controlling operations ofcertain well site components (e.g., support structure electronics,blender unit 20, hoisting mechanism 92, etc.). This may help to controltransportation and placement of the support structure 14 relative to theblender inlet, as well as bulk material transfer at the well site. Forexample, the processors 96 may output signals at a user interface 99 forinstructing operators to remove an empty container from the supportstructure 14 and replace the container with a new container holding acertain type of bulk material needed for the well treatment. Other typesof instructions for inventory control/monitoring may be provided throughthe disclosed systems.

As shown, the support structure 14 itself may include a number ofelectronic components such as, for example, the automated actuators 54described above with reference to FIG. 2. These actuators 54 may becontrolled to open and/or close a discharge gate of one or morecontainers elevated on the support structure 14. The support structure14 may also include one or more indicators 100 (e.g., indicator lights)disposed on the support structure for providing various informationabout the operating state of the support structure 14. For example, inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the support structure 14 may include atleast one indicator 100 corresponding to each automated actuator 54 onthe support structure 14. The indicators 100 may include lights designedto indicate whether the discharge gates of containers disposed on thesupport structure 14 are in an open position or in a closed position,based on the operating state of the corresponding actuators 54.

In addition, the support structure 14 may include various sensorsdesigned to take measurements and provide sensor feedback to the controlsystem 90. For example, the support structure 14 may include cameras 102(e.g., all-weather cameras) to provide optical feedback of certainoperations involving the support structure 14. One or more cameras 102may be positioned to look out toward where the hoisting mechanism 92 ismanipulated to engage the portable support structure 14 (e.g., proximatethe slots 56 of FIG. 2). These cameras 102 may detect a proximity of thehoisting mechanism 92 to the support structure 14 as the hoistingmechanism is maneuvered toward and into engagement with the supportstructure 14. The controller 90 may output signals to control analignment of the hoisting mechanism (e.g., forklift) 92 toward the slotsor other interface feature on the support structure, based on theoptical feedback received from the cameras 102. Once aligned and fullyengaged with the support structure 14, the hoisting mechanism 92 may beused to lift and transport the support structure 14 about the well site,as described above.

Additional cameras 102 may be used to control a position of the blenderunit 20 relative to the support structure 14 during set up of the systemat a desired location. For example, the cameras 102 may detect aproximity of the blender inlet (e.g., hopper or mixing vessel) to thesupport structure 14 as the blender unit 20 is backing toward thesupport structure 14 (or as the support structure 14 is being loweredover the blender unit 20 via the hoisting mechanism 92). The controllermay output signals to control an alignment and proximity of the blenderunit 20 relative to the support structure 14, based on the opticalfeedback received from the cameras 102.

The support structure 14 may also include fill level sensors 104 (e.g.,cameras, guided wave radar sensors, sonar sensors, array or levelswitches, or any other type of level sensing devices) pointed toward theblender hopper and used to detect a level of the bulk material presentin the blender hopper. The controller 90 may output control signals toone or more actuators 54 on the support structure 14 to initiate fillingof the blender hopper with additional bulk material from one or morecontainers on the support structure 14, based on the received fill levelsensor signals. That is, when the blender hopper is running low, thecontroller 90 may actuate additional containers into the open positionto maintain a steady flow of bulk material to the blender hopper.

The support structure 14 may also include load cells 106 for detectingthe presence and/or weight of the one or more containers disposed on theframe of the support structure 14. By detecting the weight of thecontainers, the load cells 106 may provide the controller 90 withinformation regarding the number of containers disposed on the supportstructure 14 as well as the fill level of bulk material within theindividual containers on the support structure 14.

Other sensors 107 may be present throughout the support structure 14. Insome embodiments, for example, the support structure 14 may includeadditional sensors 107 for detecting the presence and/or location of oneor more containers disposed atop the frame of the support structure 14.When fewer than the maximum capacity of containers are disposed on thesupport structure 14, the controller 90 may output a command for anoperator or automated system to position a new filled container of bulkmaterial onto the support structure 14, based on the received signalfrom the sensors 107.

The controller 90, the support structure electronics, or both, mayutilize power from an external power source 108, as shown. In otherembodiments, the support structure 14 may include its own power source108 for operating the onboard electronics and sensors.

As mentioned above, the controller 90 may be communicatively coupled tovarious other sensors 94 disposed about the well site. In someembodiments, these sensors 94 may include one or more load cells or binfull switches for tracking a level of bulk material in a portablecontainer and indicating whether the container is empty, full, orpartially full. Such sensors 94 may be used for any given container, theblender hopper, a silo (not shown), or any other component at the wellsite. In addition, in some embodiments the sensors 94 may include RFIDtags used to provide an indication of the particle size, bulk volume,weight, type, material, and/or supplier of the bulk material disposed ina certain container. In such instances, the controller 90 may becommunicatively coupled to an RFID reader disposed in proximity to thecontainers being moved about the well site.

Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been describedin detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutionsand alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a portable supportstructure for holding at least one portable container of bulk materialat a position proximate a blender inlet, wherein the support structurecomprises: a frame for receiving and holding the at least one portablecontainer thereon; and a gravity feed outlet coupled to the frame forrouting the bulk material from the at least one portable containerdirectly into the blender inlet.
 2. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a blender having the blender inlet and a mixing compartmentfor mixing the bulk material with additives to generate a treatmentfluid.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the portable support structureis removably disposed over the blender inlet of the blender.
 4. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the portable support structure comprisesoutriggers for positioning or aligning the blender inlet relative to theportable support structure.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein theportable support structure comprises the gravity feed outlet for routingthe bulk material directly into the blender inlet without the use ofpneumatic or mechanical conveyance equipment.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the support structure comprises: a frame for receiving andholding a plurality of portable containers of bulk material; and aplurality of gravity feed outlets coupled to the frame, each of theplurality of gravity feed outlets being positioned to route the bulkmaterial from a corresponding one of the plurality of portablecontainers directly into the blender inlet.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the plurality of gravity feed outlets are each angled to directthe bulk material from the corresponding plurality of portablecontainers directly into the blender inlet.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the portable support structure is transportable on a trailer andcomprises engagement features for interfacing with a hoisting mechanism.9. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable support structure isintegrated into a trailer unit.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein theportable support structure further comprises a gate actuator forselectively actuating a discharge gate of the at least one portablecontainer for releasing the bulk material from the at least one portablecontainer into the at least one gravity feed outlet.
 11. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the portable support structure further comprises asensor for detecting a fill level of bulk material.
 12. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the portable support structure is communicativelycoupled to a control system for controlling a process of filling theblender inlet.
 13. A system, comprising: a support structure trailerunit for holding at least one portable container of bulk material at aposition proximate a blender inlet, wherein the support structuretrailer unit comprises: a frame for receiving and holding the at leastone portable container thereon; a gravity feed outlet coupled to theframe for routing the bulk material from the at least one portablecontainer directly into the blender inlet; and wheels for enablingtransportation of the frame to and from a site.
 14. The system of claim13, wherein the support structure trailer unit comprises the gravityfeed outlet for routing the bulk material directly into the blenderinlet without the use of pneumatic or mechanical conveyance equipmentoperating on auxiliary power.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein thesupport structure trailer unit further comprises an end for lifting andcoupling the support structure trailer unit to a transportation vehicle.16. A method, comprising: receiving one or more portable containers ofbulk material onto a frame of a portable support structure disposedproximate a blender inlet; and feeding the bulk material from the one ormore portable containers directly into the blender inlet via one or moregravity feed outlets of the portable support structure.
 17. The methodof claim 16, further comprising positioning a blender unit having theblender inlet underneath the portable support structure afterpositioning the portable support structure.
 18. The method of claim 16,further comprising positioning the portable support structure over ablender unit having the blender inlet such that the one or more gravityfeed outlets are disposed in the blender inlet after positioning theblender unit.
 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising removingthe portable support structure from a trailer via a hoisting mechanismand positioning the portable support structure at a site.
 20. The methodof claim 16, further comprising transporting the portable supportstructure to a site via a trailer unit, wherein the portable supportstructure is integrated with the trailer unit.